• ragebutt@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      28
      ·
      edit-2
      23 hours ago

      So bored rich people can piss away a shitload of cash to look at the unrelenting blackness of space for a few moments before coming back to earth and continuing their lives of wasteful excess in a vacuum of ignorance, duh

      While doing this they will emit the carbon dioxide equivalent of 395 transatlantic flights, or the c02 emissions equivalent of what 22-24 Americans output in an entire year from their average daily life. Meanwhile sabotaging an oil pipeline is called ecoterrorism but their behavior is called a fun experience. But that’s okay, katy perry had to see space! We don’t need those ice caps, really. Sorry your children will grow up in a post apocalyptic wasteland

    • Brainsploosh@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      11
      ·
      24 hours ago

      Currently as a novelty attraction, you go for the experience. This was the same for the other exampled, and is the same for flying cars where they’re being tested.

      Even electricity was launched in much the same way.

      • al_Kaholic
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        8
        ·
        23 hours ago

        To do what when you arrive at this novel location? Leave Edison’s electrocution of an elephant out of this.

        • IrateAnteater@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          9
          ·
          23 hours ago

          Is your imagination really this limited?

          Building a proper space station as a jumping off point for further exploration of the solar system, asteroid mining, He3 mining on the moon. These are just the basic things that are envisioned/planned. All of which would require commercial space travel to be a thing. I’d much rather we extract that funding from taking a couple rich people for a joyride as opposed to getting governments to subsidize it.

          • snooggums@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            4
            ·
            22 hours ago

            If it is a benefit for everyone I would prefer the government subsidized the development of space travel by taxing those rich fucks instead of relying on their ‘good will’ to selfishly experience everything themselves.

            • IrateAnteater@sh.itjust.works
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              22 hours ago

              I view space development as very, very, very nice to have, but not absolutely essential. I would prefer to tax the shit out of the wealthy to pay for essential things at home (such as health care), and let private equity fund the nice to haves like commercial space travel. The exception would be for science missions. I’d prefer for the government to continue funding pure research, so that knowledge doesn’t get gated behind pay walls.

              • snooggums@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                2
                ·
                21 hours ago

                GPS, solar power, and a shitload of science all benefited massively from space missions that used government funding through taxes. That is the approach that I am in favor of, not space tourism for rich fucks.